The leading accrediting body for physician assistant programs has placed UMES' program on probation until its next review.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore's physician assistant program has lost its clean bill of health — for now.

The leading accrediting body for physician assistant programs has placed UMES on probation until its next review, which is scheduled to happen in September.

The program's administrators failed to comply with an "administrative requirement, such as failure to pay fees or submit required reports," according to the website for the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant.

Loretta Waldron, the commission's director of accreditation services, said Wednesday that the university's program is still accredited, despite its probationary status. Asked to "shed more light" on the cause of change in status, she wrote in an email that "you should contact the program director for more information."

The issues raised by the commission, UMES spokesman Bill Robinson said, "included clarification of job titles and responsibilities, the size and credentials of faculty, as well as the number and type of off-campus clinical experience opportunities for students."

UMES has taken steps to address the concerns, he added.

Under the leadership of the new program coordinator, Theresa Johnson, who joined UMES last fall, two new full-time faculty are scheduled to begin before the start of the spring semester.

Further, a consultant has been hired to further develop clinical site locations.

The program is running as it normally would, Robinson said. All students who graduate during the probationary period are eligible to take the qualifying exam necessary to join the professional ranks.

Currently, 72 students are enrolled in the master's level program.

Physician assistants, also known as PAs, are health care professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery and in most states can write prescriptions.

UMES began training PAs in 1999, offering coursework leading to a bachelor's degree. It added a master's of medical science degree in physician assistant studies in 2013.

The commission has reviewed two other physician assistant programs in Maryland besides UMES, according to its website. Anne Arundel Community College has gained full accreditation. Meanwhile, the program administered jointly by Towson University and the Community College of Baltimore County is on probation for failing to meet the commission's educational standards.

The UMES program has been accredited since June 2001.

Once a program is placed on administrative probation, the commission mandates that unless it complies with administrative requirements in a timely way, the program may be scheduled for a "focused site visit" and possibly risk having its accreditation withdrawn.

A degree is just the first step toward becoming a professional physician assistants. All states require students to pass the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants' exam.

Only students whose universities are accredited at the time they graduate are eligible to sit for the exam. A frequently asked questions page on the accrediting commission's website notes that while it still considers probationary programs to be accredited, "it is best to check with the NCCPA concerning exam eligibility criteria."

A student graduating this term can still sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam since the program is still accredited, according to a National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants spokeswoman.